Jean's Blog

Entrepreneur Fridays: Jellyfish Art

Posted by Jean

WHO: Alex Andon

WHAT: Jellyfish Art, a company that designs decorative, custom made and desktop jellyfish aquariums

WHEN: 2008

WHERE: San Francisco, CA

HOW: They often say that in order to be successful in business, you have to start out doing the dirty work. Just ask twenty-five-year-old Alex Andon, founder of Jellyfish Art. “Before starting Jellyfish Art I was working as a lab technician at a biotech company…my job was to process monkey, rat and human stool samples, which was a nauseating task,” says Andon. A marine biology student in college, Andon always had an interest in captive jellyfish breeding and knew how much of an attraction jellyfish were at public aquariums. “Jellyfish have been hugely popular since scientists discovered how to display them in captivity about ten years ago,” says Andon.

One day while working at the biotech lab came Alex’s “ah-ha” moment: Capitalize on people’s interest in jellyfish by making it possible for individuals to have jellyfish as pets. “No company had commercialized them because they require special tanks and food…I started the business to make it possible for people to have their own pet jellyfish,” explains Andon.

With an idea and $15,000 Andon began to develop Jellyfish Art. He worked nights and weekends on the business and eventually, its success forced him to leave his biotech job. “I left my job when I realized Jellyfish Art was becoming a real business and I couldn’t possibly get it off the ground while keeping my day job,” says Andon. Although quitting gave Andon the opportunity to devote all of his time to the fledgling business, he says it was one of the hardest things to do. “Leaving a steady paycheck is very nerve-racking. When you have your own business, your performance is directly tied to your rewards,” says Andon.

Today, Jellyfish Art is thriving. Andon has sold 14 custom aquariums, some for upwards of $20,000 each. Just recently, a restaurant in Seattle purchased an aquarium for $25,000 and Andon also sold a tank to the studios where the popular shows Gossip Girl and 30 Rock are filmed. Sales of the $249 desktop model are keeping Andon busy too, with 60 of the tanks ordered since its release. In the future, Andon sees the desktop tank as the next decorative novelty item—similar to the lava lamp. “This product brings the price low enough so anyone can have pet jellyfish. I want to see the Desktop Jellyfish Tank become a hot novelty product,” says Andon.

HIS ADVICE: According to Andon, persistence pays off. “The most important principle to stick to in the beginning is persistence because it can overcome any obstacle. Pick a few simple goals, outline how you will reach them, and then stop at nothing to get there. It will require a lot of hard work but it will be worth it,” says Andon.